“Merry Christmas” by Third Day

(Click the link to hear the song 👆🏼)

This song hits a little differently this year. It’s always been a favorite since Third Day released the album in 2006, but it didn’t really have meaning until we (unknowingly) started down the road toward adoption in 2010/11.

Even though it didn’t fit the song perfectly, I cried when I heard it during our first Christmas with Isaac.

Each Christmas following, I would always wonder what else God had in store for us as far as foster care and adoption. When our adoption of Destinee fell through, it was especially hard to hear this song that first Christmas.

The years got long, but I would tear up a bit each Christmas when I’d heard it.

Last Christmas, I don’t think we really had any idea we’d be where we are today. We didn’t even start paperwork until Feb/March of this year, and really didn’t think it’d go this quickly.

Now, here we are, three months in to having Jair in our home…and Christmas is just around the corner.

Oh, friends. Many of you know how hard these three months have been. Adoption is a beautiful and tangible picture of the gospel, but is so so hard. This is, by a long shot, the hardest thing we have done. There is so much loss, so much grief, so much trauma.

I have never realized my need for Jesus more.

I have never seen so much ugly in my own heart (and I thought our first season of foster care revealed a lot of that!!).

I have never been so weary.

I have never been so weak.

But this I know: my God has told me in His word that when I pass through the waters, He will be with me; and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm me; when I walk through fire I will not be burned, and the flame will not consume me. (Isaiah 43:2)

And: He is my rock and my salvation, my fortress. I will not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. (Psalm 62:8)

Maybe most of all, I know this: that if God created good works for me beforehand, to walk in them (Ephesians 2:10), then He will carry me. He has already gone before me.

If I can trust my God with my eternity, then surely, I can trust Him on this journey.

And so, this Christmas, we have a little boy who has a home. And a family. And we’ll make it the merriest Christmas we can, in spite of the hard.

Still friends, as always, we covet your prayers. We need our army of prayer warriors standing with us on the front lines.